Member Article

South Yorkshire SME’s urged to bid for share of £12 million funding

SME’s across South Yorkshire are being urged to bid for a share of a £12 million funding pot earmarked for upskilling local talent.

Learning Unlimited, part of the Chesterfield College Group, secured a European Social Fund contract to deliver a Skills Support for the Workforce (SSW) project in the South Yorkshire region.

The focus for the funding drive is to deliver workplace learning courses to meet individual, employer and regional needs by up skilling the workforce.

One third of the funding on offer has already been attributed with over 1,000 companies and more than 4,000 learners already benefiting from the scheme.

Learning Unlimited’s operations director Paul Champion is urging employers to act now to secure a share of the funding which is due to expire in March 2015.

He said: “The SSW initiative offers South Yorkshire-based businesses with 250 or less employees the opportunity to tap into free training and upskill their existing workforce.

“We have already delivered customised training schemes to over 1,000 businesses that have seen benefits including increased productivity, workforce motivation and business sustainability as well as employees feeling valued and new talent being attracted to work for employers who will help them progress their career.”

SSW training courses are delivered in the workplace or online at times to suit business demands, ensuring any impact on day to day practice is minimal.

The qualifications are aimed across a wide range of industries which have been identified by the Local Economic Partnership, from Retail to Construction.

Learning Unlimited was established in 2009 and now consists of an expert team of more than 100 people delivering business focused training to learners that directly meets the needs of employers in a whole raft of sectors.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Clare Burnett .